Almost Live from Seabourn Odyssey 1/18/20

[robertmartha]

Can you tell I am super excited for our first Seabourn sailing next week!

Want to thank all who have posted their experiences and those who have answered all my newbie questions!

I will be taking my laptops with us since checking in with work is a necessary evil (even on vacation) for me still (my other half is retired from teaching which is why we can now vacation anytime during the year!). I promise to post our experiences and answer any questions sent my way.

Have sailed the mainstream lines dating back and starting with Premier (Big Red Boat II), Carnival, Holland and Celebrity and then most recently a AMA holiday river sailing 2 years ago that completely changed our perspective on cruising and our desire for more intimate and destination focused sailings.

 

Just concerned that once we experience the level of service and experiences we are anticipating --- the bar will be set very high for the future !

 

Thank you again!

 

Bob

[margbem]

You are right! The bar will be set very high. Have a great cruise.

[DiscerningD]

Look forward to bumping into you (not literally I hope!) on the cruise. We too cannot wait and it is our third cruise with Seabourn, as a much cruise travelled friend said when we embarked on our first in 2016, " You believe in starting at the top!". Not regretted our decision, just wished I'd realised how much you can lean back and relax on the first cruise. Any concerns just ask and 99 times out of a hundred your path will be smoothed! Enjoy!

[caleyjag]

Hope you have a great time Bob

[robertmartha]

Thank you everyone for the kind words.

Discerning D - hopefully we will meet during the sailing! One more week of work to get thru!

Hoping weather co-operates this week - esp Saturday. Will be flying in Saturday afternoon from the east coast of the US.

 

Bob

[robertmartha]

Sorry all for not posting until today - Monday 1/20

All I can say is that all I read on these boards is so, so true.

So far Seabourn has been amazing - the experience is calm and unhurried. Service is excellent.  Food wonderful.

 

Service in the main restaurant at night a bit chaotic last night - seemed so many different people were coming to our table (not the best table by the galley entrance/exit but our hostess did ask if the table was okay with us) whereas the first night had a great table location but the waiter and assistant were not engaging at all.

 

Passenger makeup on this sailing 250+ Brits, 125+ Americans and then ones and two's from various other countries. Very friendly fellow passengers - everyone says hello to each other on board and on shore.

 

My wife and I already agree - how are we ever going to "go back"

😮

 

any questions ask away.

Edited January 20, 2020 by robertmartha
spelling

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, robertmartha said:

 

 

Passenger makeup on this sailing 250+ Brits, 125+ Americans and then ones and two's from various other countries. Very friendly fellow passengers - everyone says hello to each other on board and on shore.

 

 

😮

 

any questions ask away.

Wow 250+ from the UK, leading the number from the United States considerably.  Usually, it is the other way around on the SB cruises we have taken.  What is the itinerary?

[Poppyprincess]

Hope you have a great time but hope you don’t fall ill!  I boarded the Seabourn Odyssey on 21st December with my husband for our honeymoon. We had a PH for 4 weeks. My parents joined us on 4th Jan for our last 2 weeks. My 82 year old mother was ill for the last 3 days of the trip and was disembarked by ambulance to a hospital in Barbados on 18th January therefore missing our flight back to the UK. My 83 year old father has dementia and currently we are in a hotel here. My mother was discharged today and has been pronounced fit to fly by the doctor after suffering with pulmonary congestion. My problem is this, we booked our tickets with Seabourn Flight Ease, first class with BA. I am unable to access the booking as it says agent has to do it. I now hear from BA that Seabourn called to amend the ticket but BA needed further information. Seabourn did not go back to them until after the flight had left so we were classed as No Shows. BA have said that it is down to Seabourn to sort it out, they are the named party on the Atol certificate. Seabourn Family Assistance in Seattle are telling us that they can not assist us and our only choice is to purchase tickets for c$21,000Us, 3 club seats and 1 premium economy. I am getting no where fast! Having spent over £60,000 on this trip I feel that Seabourn have left us high and dry! Their strapline of Your Seabourn Odyssey, your home from home certainly does not extend to looking after their sick passengers once they have left the ship in a medical emergency. 

[robertmartha]

SLSD - Barbados to Saint Martin.

 

Poppy - so sorry to hear of you troubles / issues but good to know your mom is well and are all returning home well. So far so good - for us (no illness) - but we are diligent hand washers and purell users (dispensers located thru-out the ship).

 

Food and service continue to be excellent.

Returned to the same section in the dining room as the previous night - different table but same servers and the service was night and day from the prior day. Have to guess may have been an off night that night? - then again we are arriving at the dining room around 8ish which is a busy time as the staff are finishing with other tables just as we are sitting. We are in no rush though......because we are on vacation!

 

Basse Terre today but rain in the forecast 😣

[cruiseryder]

We are on Odyssey in March and very much looking forward to the cruise.

 

Will be interested to hear your take on Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe, particularly sightseeing independently?

 

When we visited Guadeloupe a few years ago we anchored off Deshaies. We were able to walk to the Gardens and also get a local bus to the beach.

 

Can’t seem to find much info on Basse-Terre area.

 

Enjoy your day, hope the weather improves.

[Poppyprincess]

Robert, thank you for your reply but we are also diligent handwashers and sanitizers. We are not talking about a tummy bug here, but a heart condition. I am sure that if you were in my shoes you would be feeling v upset at having to pay for airline tickets that you had already purchased due to Seabourn’s negligence. They were informed by me, and I have my call log to the ship, at 11.30am that my mother was not fit to fly. We are informed by BA that they were contacted after the flight had left which was at 8.05pm.

[LEESRE]

sorry wrong item

 

Edited January 21, 2020 by LEESRE

[robertmartha]

Cruiseryder

 

Since this was our first time to ALL of these ports - we did not DIY any of the ports but rather booked thru the ship.

In Basse Terre we did the Falls Hike and Garden tour. Hike was great - guide was great - gardens interesting.

We then got back on the ship and were thinking about going back out but our room stewardess had filled our tub with bubble bath and rose petals so we decided to stay on board 😉

 

If the Volcano Hike was offered I was actually planning on doing that - but was not available due to lack of interest (pre bookings). I tried booking on my own since we were docking at 8am - but good thing I did not because we could not dock due to the swells so it ended up being a tender port and we were not off the ship until well after nine so I would have missed my booking.

 

We only booked 6 wks ago so I did not do the pre-planning I typically do. We are just winging it and using the time to relax with our close friends who joined us - good food, great wine, good friends and a great atmosphere to just kick and relax - what more could one want?

 

Ship and staff are amazing - but then again we are first timers on Seabourn and this is our first true upscale line sailing.

 

Any questions - ask away

 

 

[frantic36]

Just curious with your hike was the group fairly fit and able to all keep up? I have been tempted by some hikes but having done some tours involving a bit of walking and had people not able to keep up so I have tended to avoid them from now on.

 

One classic comment I remember was a lady complaining about a walk in the Caribbean on a Seabourn tour. When it was pointed out the tour was marked as strenuous she said "I thought they meant Seabourn strenuous, like a stroll on a promenade"...this was a lady in her 50s which was my age at the time.🤔

 

Thanks for your updates RobertMartha.

 

Julie

Edited January 23, 2020 by frantic36

[cruiseryder]

Thanks for the update. Look forward to reading more.

[robertmartha]

Julie -

 

This hike was labeled as strenuous and as I said to my wife while we were on it that the line really should screen those who are signing up - not that you can deny anyone from signing up - but there were some people who we felt should not have been on the tour. We are in our late 50's - go to the gym every day - and it was a good workout. We were absolutely fine but I don't know how some others were able to do it.

I am a Trip Advisor user and always research on their boards as well as these CC boards and find I am able to get a true representation of an excursion thru other's reviews for outings / activities.

[frantic36]

2 hours ago, robertmartha said:

Julie -

 

This hike was labeled as strenuous and as I said to my wife while we were on it that the line really should screen those who are signing up - not that you can deny anyone from signing up - but there were some people who we felt should not have been on the tour. We are in our late 50's - go to the gym every day - and it was a good workout. We were absolutely fine but I don't know how some others were able to do it.

I am a Trip Advisor user and always research on their boards as well as these CC boards and find I am able to get a true representation of an excursion thru other's reviews for outings / activities.

 

Thank you for this true assessment. Your comments reflect my concern. I anticipate people not wanting to miss out but  always hope they are realistic. Having had surgery on both feet a few years ago that I have recovered from I do understand wanting to do as much as you can while you can. 

 

I agree with using trip advisor as well for guidance, I have found them extremely useful when reading reviews. One tour  in the Phillipines gave me fair warning about multiple steep stairs so I knew to prepare 😊.

 

Julie

 

[robertmartha]

Julie

 

So agree with you - research is so important.

One thing I did regret is not purchasing a travel book about/that covered the ports we were visiting.

The ports are small and intimate which is great - but would have like to be better prepared (yes I am a planner) for each one with an activity in both the am and pm. All the excursions thru the ship were for morning excursions except for Antigua/Barbuda which they offered excursions thru out the day (we leave at 11pm tonight)

 

Bob

[Mark56]

Hi Bob,

 

We’ll be on the ship in May. 

 

Have you attended any shows or lectures?

 

Have you visited the spa?

 

Has the water sports platform been available?

[robertmartha]

Hello Mark56

 

So jealous you will be on her in May. Home one day and already planning our next!

We attended one show (Singers/dancers) in the show lounge - they were a very talented group of performers (our oldest is a classical trained vocalist so we have been around the "industry" performers for 20+ years).

We did not attend any lectures - naturalist on board had 3 scheduled.

My wife visited the spa one day - heated loungers and sauna/showers.

I would have purchased a pass but the Odyssey did not a have thermal pool or even a whirlpool as part of the spa (that was a deal breaker for me).

Water sports platform was not available on out sailing but they did bring all the water "toys" to the beach day and that entire day was just fabulous - from the beach itself, the most delicious margarita's we have ever had (no lie) - buffet, ocean kayaking, caviar in the surf, plenty of shade (umbrellas) - even my wife who is NOT a beach fan raved about it.

 

Any other questions - please ask - love sharing our first time experiences!

[LEESRE]

On 1/25/2020 at 6:35 PM, Mark56 said:

Hi Bob,

 

We’ll be on the ship in May. 

 

Have you attended any shows or lectures?

 

Have you visited the spa?

 

Has the water sports platform been available?

Mark.

Just to let you know, re the spa area, you do not need to go to the spa if all you want is a sauna and a steam room, plus showers, they have both in the Gents and Ladies changing rooms , all Free of charge.